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Introducting Cereal

My daughter is 7 weeks old and is not sleeping well through the night so we are considering putting a little bit of cereal in her breast milk. Has anyone ever tried this or heard any effects of this? I'm concerned she may be too young for it.

Re: Introducting Cereal

She is too young for it and it's a choking hazard. Children's digestive tracks aren't mature enough for anything other than breast milk until about the 6month point. And honestly 7weeks is VERY VERY early to expect an infant to sleep through the night. Sleeping through the night is any stretch of sleep that is four hours or more, and really at 7 weeks her tummy may not even be big enough to hold 4hour worth of food. Don't listen to what people around you are saying about when their kids slept through the night. I know it's hard right now, and you should really really try to sleep when your baby sleeps, even if that means napping during the day and letting the housework go until the weekend. She will only be this small for such a short time. Another 2-5weeks and things should seem remarkably easier. The housework will wait. Feed the baby and if you can't yet nap, at least put your feet up and REST While the baby sleeps!
Hang in there.

Re: Introducting Cereal

Originally Posted by DJ's Mom

She is too young for it and it's a choking hazard. Children's digestive tracks aren't mature enough for anything other than breast milk until about the 6month point. And honestly 7weeks is VERY VERY early to expect an infant to sleep through the night. Sleeping through the night is any stretch of sleep that is four hours or more, and really at 7 weeks her tummy may not even be big enough to hold 4hour worth of food. Don't listen to what people around you are saying about when their kids slept through the night. I know it's hard right now, and you should really really try to sleep when your baby sleeps, even if that means napping during the day and letting the housework go until the weekend. She will only be this small for such a short time. Another 2-5weeks and things should seem remarkably easier. The housework will wait. Feed the baby and if you can't yet nap, at least put your feet up and REST While the baby sleeps!
Hang in there.

Re: Introducting Cereal

I agree with the pp's... the old trick of "putting cereal in the baby's bottle to get him/her to sleep through the night" is a myth, in my opinion. At 6 months, our DD is barely sleeping more than a few hours at a time at night (we are co-sleeping as a result), and although she is getting cereal several times during the day (at daycare), she also gets some cereal before bed. It does not help her sleep any longer than if she did not get the cereal. I know there are lots of moms who swear that their child started sleeping through the night when they started giving cereal, but for the most part, I have heard from lots of other moms who said it doesn't help.

Have you considered co-sleeping to get more rest? I am a mom who swore (pre-baby) that I would NEVER allow a baby to sleep in bed with me. But when I got to be (and still am) so severely sleep-deprived, I decided I needed to do something to get some rest, so co-sleep we do. It does help me get more rest, as I can pretty much put my boob in DD's mouth while I am still (mostly) asleep, and then I usually go back to sleep while she nurses.

And yes, it is MUCH too early for you to be trying cereal... Just hang in there, mama! Soon your babe will start to sleep better for you...

Buff

IRL all my friends call me Buff, Wife to CB since 10/11/2003

Mom to DD - "MJ" born 9/2007 @ 8lbs 10oz, 21.5" She's 6 years old!
My journey nursing MJ started HERE, but we got through it and she breastfed 19.5 months, self-weaned on 5/17/09

Re: Introducting Cereal

my dd started sleeping through the night at 3 mo and I considered myself VERY lucky it was that early!!!

-Katie

-Wife to Joe 5-15-04
-First time mom to Courtney Ann 8-12-07
-Became a mom of 2: Brendan Joseph was born 01-08-09
-Breastfed both of them for one whole year
-Now a new mom of 3: Emily Theresa born 12-14-11
-Breastfeeding again and hope to go the full year!